Wildfires

Fighting future fires for free

/ SoyBend / 7 Comments

Here in Central Oregon, homeowners can take steps towards fighting future fires for free. In the spring, you can dispose of yard waste for no charge. In Bend this year, the free disposal runs from April 30 through May 15. Here’s a link showing dates at all locations. The landfill also takes yard waste for half price in early November.

fighting fires for free
Piles of yard waste

You may wonder why the local landfill is taking yard waste without charging the usual amount. Central Oregon is in the exceptional drought category, according to U.S. Drought Monitor.

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After the fire near Warm Springs: Monochrome Monday

/ SoyBend / 2 Comments

After the fire, this split-trunk western juniper tree is still standing tall in the grasslands near Warm Springs, Oregon.

After the fire

Monochrome Monday

A patch of blue in the smoke over Oregon

/ SoyBend / 8 Comments

I saw a patch of blue in the smoke-filled landscape today. Air quality is hazardous and skies are smoky over Bend, Oregon, but one of my notoriously camera-shy mountain bluebirds paused for a portrait. I needed that today! My main computer decided it no longer wanted to wake up from sleep mode.

A patch of blue, bluebird in Oregon September 2020

Here is the air quality reading yesterday afternoon over Bend.

Air quality in Bend, Oregon 12 September 2020

Here are the readings from in and around Bend yesterday.

Air quality near Bend Oregon 12 September 2020

Fires are far from Bend, but wind blew smoke our way.

Wildfires in Oregon 12 September 2020

Wildfires are raging over much of the west. We are looking forward to a little rain this week.

Thanks to the firefighters at work on these fires! May they find their own patch of blue.